No prizes for guessing the most popular sportsman, but a new young woman athlete is making big waves.

Hima Das, popularly known as the dhing express, has arrived and the respondents of the India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll, too, acknowledge the achievements of the Assamese sprinter. With India's badminton stars PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal struggling with form and injury and tennis player Sania Mirza still on maternity leave, it was the 19-year-old who finished first on the MOTN poll.

It's not only Das's stellar performances on track-winning five gold medals in 400m and 200m recently in Europe-that have helped her climb the popularity charts, but also her dynamic, tomboyish personality and charming social media feed that make her shine even off the field. Rarely has a sportswoman exuded so much self-belief and maturity when confronted with expectations and attention, especially for qualifying for 2019 World Athletics Championships and then Olympic 2020. Her maturity is all the more impressive considering Das is still a teenager, but, as proven by the likes of legendary boxer Mary Kom and cricketer Mithali Raj, who continue to deliver in their respective sports, age really is just a number.

Unlike the sportswomen rankings, there's no change in India's preference for its favourite sportsman and, sadly, still very little variety in the sport itself. That our viewing preferences put seven cricketers on top in the list of the top 10 sportsmen is worrying. Footballer Sunil Chhetri, kabaddi player Anup Kumar and javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra were the only three who managed to challenge the hegemony of cricket.

(Photo: Bandeep Singh)

To nobody's surprise, Virat Kohli, top batsman in both ODI (one-day international) and Tests, topped the poll yet again despite a rather underwhelming 2019 Cricket World Cup performance, given the lofty standards he has set. Even as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, at No.2, faces criticism for his diminishing strike rate, MOTN participants believe that the 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman still has a few years of play left in him and is worthy of a place in the starting XI. Rohit Sharma, vice-captain, India's best player in the tournament and the captain of the current Indian Premier League champions, Mumbai Indians, climbed up and now follows right after Dhoni in the latest MOTN poll. He is the only player, apart from Kohli and Dhoni, to score in double digits in the poll, with controversy's favourite child Hardik Pandya finishing 10 points behind.

The poll also suggests that the nation is easily swayed by the pyrotechnics of batsmen and is forgetful of the efforts of bowlers. It explains why Jasprit Bumrah, the No.1 bowler in ICC's ODI rankings, whose pace and consistency have been instrumental in India's standing as a team with a dangerous bowling attack, finished fifth. In fact, Sharma and his Mumbai Indians teammate Bumrah were the only Indians to feature in the World Cup team of the tournament.

When it comes to leading the team, the respondents still prefer Kohli's aggressive, go-getter style to Sharma's calmer approach. The rumours of a rift between the captain and the vice-captain hint that all is not well in the dressing room. The alleged rivalry doesn't bode well for the team.

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